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The Honorable Allie Coetzee Leslie

  • Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy (ret)

Biography

The Honorable Althea (“Allie”) Coetzee Leslie offers an exceptional career that spans nearly four decades, combining distinguished military service and extensive civilian expertise.

Allie graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985 and retired from the Navy in 2017 as a 2-Star Rear Admiral. She received her MBA (Law) from National University, where she was awarded the American Jurisprudence Award (Criminal Law).

Allie transitioned into the Navy Reserve and the private sector in 1993. In her civilian capacity, she has worked in the public sectors, including municipal, state, and federal government agencies; and the Department of Defense. In the private sector, Allie worked in retail distribution, contracting, and medical device manufacturing; and, from 2005 to 2010, was a small business owner.

In 2011, Allie was recalled to active duty and from 2011 until her 2017 retirement she served in a variety of acquisition leadership positions at the Pentagon. These included Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Expeditionary Programs and Logistics Management); Executive Director, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Acquisition & Procurement); Acting Director, Defense Procurement and Acquisition Policy; Commander, U.S. Central Command Theater Support Contracting Command; and Chief of Staff to the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics (AT&L). As Chief of Staff, Allie facilitated the Under Secretary’s leadership of AT&L across the offices of five Assistant Secretaries of Defense, 11 directorates, and several defense agencies.

After serving in uniform for over 36 years, Allie was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in 2017 and served as Deputy Administrator in the U.S. Small Business Administration. In this capacity, she championed the causes of entrepreneurs and small business owners optimizing the SBA’s resources to start and grow small businesses. Leveraging a lifetime of diverse personal and professional experiences, in 2018, Allie started a consulting firm to deliver strategic solutions with the highest levels of integrity, accountability, and competence. In addition to her consulting activities, in 2021, Allie joined Health Supply US, a minority owned small business and served as Chief Contracting Officer and President of the company until returning to consulting work in 2024.